Spanish La Liga giants Barcelona are set to spend next season away from the Camp Nou as they plan to redevelop their famous old ground.
The decision came after plans to improve their stadium were approved by the club’s board on Thursday.
Barcelona’s senior officials gave the financial plan the green light to start the Espai Barca project.
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Redevelopment plans are being backed by US investment firms Goldman Sachs and JP Morgan, with Barcelona set to receive up to £1.3 billion to finance the renovations.
According to The Athletic, a final agreement between the US firms is expected soon and could be made official within the next 24 hours.
On Thursday, the Catalan club told the City Council and UEFA that they will play their home matches at the Estadi Lluis Companys during the 23/24 season. This will be the first time as 1957 that Barcelona will not use the Camp Nou as their home stadium.
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The Estadi Lluis Companys is located on Montjuic, a large hill which is southwest of Barcelona’s city centre. The stadium hosted the 1992 Olympics and has a capacity of 55,000.
Work on the first and second tiers was already started at the end of last season, with the third tier to be demolished also during the summer of 2023 and renovations to continue into the next campaign.
Last year, Barcelona’s president Joan Laporta confirmed that the club will not play at the Camp Nou during the 23/24 season.
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However, at that stage, due to the financial constraints, the funding plan for the Espai Barca project was yet to be secured.
Sources close to the club reportedly said that recent news regarding the Negreira scandal and the ongoing battle with La Liga in regard of Pablo Gavi’s contract have made things even more difficult.
It is believed that the team could make a return to the Camp Nou in the 24/25 season but will only be able to play in front of a 50 per cent crowd.
Marcus Chan